Skull discovery in North Conway prompts call from Mass. family

The state Medical Examiner's Office has not yet identified the human remains discovered in the North Conway woods Saturday by searchers looking for missing Conway teen Abigail Hernandez.

A portion of a skull and teeth were found during a line search of the wooded terrain about two miles from Cranmore Mountain Resort in North Conway, officials have said.

.The Medical Examiner's office removed the remains and are expected to do DNA testing in an attempt to identify them.

"There is a possibility they could come up with a general and possible time line based on the condition of the remains," State Police Capt. David G. Parenteau said Monday...Parenteau said a Massachusetts family called Monday to provide information on a missing family member should an identification be made on the remains. Their relative was last seen in Portland, Maine, he said...The identity and gender of the person is not known. However, Maj. Kevin Jordan of New Hampshire Fish and Game has said his agency wants to determine if they belong to a man reported missing about seven years ago...The discovery is believed to be unrelated to the Oct. 9 disappearance of Hernandez, 14, who was last seen walking home from Kennett High School.

Fish and Game Col. Martin S. Garabedian said it is rare to find unknown human remains in the White Mountain National Forest..."It's very unusual," Garabedian said.

Of those reported missing to conservation officers, "very few people are unaccounted for," he added. He estimated the number to be two to three...